Clothes hanger



E. F. GRIFFITH CLOTHES HANGER Filed Jan. 5, 1953 March 6, 1956 INVENTOR. [2144420 fiGaf/Wfi United States Patent CLOTHES HANGER Edward F. Griflith, Glendale, Calif.

Application January 5, 1953, Serial No. 329,693

4 Claims. (Cl. 223-91 My invention relates to clothes hangers and included in the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a clothes hanger which incorporates a clamp means for retaining pants, slacks, trousers or skirts, so arranged that such articles of clothing may be supported and secured in folded conditions for purposes of transportation, or secured by the cuffs or waist bands for purposes of storage to thereby avoid creasing.

Second, to provide a clothes hanger which minimizes the danger of garments slipping off the hangers and, in particular, provides means whereby garments having shoulder straps may be retained.

Third, to provide a clothes hanger which is particularly economical of manufacture and easy to manipulate for purposes of securing garments thereto, or permitting their release.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of my clothes hanger.

Figure 2 is a sectional view thereof through 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view thereof through 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmental view illustrating a modified connection between the hanger frame and the clamping frame of my clothes hanger.

My clothes hanger includes a hanger frame 1 which of itself may be conventional. The hanger frame is formed of wire and includes obtusely related top sides 2 connected by a straight bottom side 3. The sloping top sides are connected by an upwardly directed hook 4, the shank of which may be formed by twisting the ends of the wire frame together.

Mounted on the hanger frame 1 is a clamp frame 5, also formed of wire. The extremities 6 of the clamp frame are coiled about and clamp the side portions 2 near their remote extremities. Spring arms 7 extend downwardly from the coiled ends 6 and join forwardly and upwardly directed open latch loops 8 which are adapted to be forced under the straight bottom side of the hanger frame 1. The latch loops 8 are connected by a clamp bar 9 which parallels the bottom side 3.

My clothes hanger is employed as follows: The hanger frame supports a coat or other sleeved garment in the conventional manner. For purposes of transportation, pants, slacks or skirts may be carried by the straight bottom side in a folded condition with the clamp bar engaging the folded garment to prevent its slipping from the hanger frame. When storing the garment, however, it is preferred to clamp the cuff or Waist band of the garment in order to avoid creasing. This may be accomplished without removing the garment by merely loosening the clamp frame and slipping the garment until the cuff or waist band is in proper position.

It should be observed that although spring action is desirable in the operation of the latch loops, the normal amount of springiness afforded by conventional soft iron wire is sufficient. It will be observed that the spring action is not limited to the arms 7 but that the bottom side of the hanger frame is capable of springing upwardly to release the latchloops. Still further, the latch loops, when unfastened, may bear against the bottom side 3 to space the clamp bar so that the garment may be slipped from its folded positionuntil the waist band or cuff is adjacent the coacting clamp elements without permitting the garment to fall through the bottom of the clamp elements.

It has been found that the coiled ends 6 serve to prevent the straps of sleeveless garments from slipping off the hanger frame. This feature may be improved by projecting the first coil of each end 6 upwardly to form a strap-retaining stop 10. The amount of upwardly projection need not be sufficiently great as to cause any noticeable bulge in a coat or the like which might be carried by the hanger frame. Alternately as shown in Figure 4, the coiled ends 6 may be secured in downwardly ofiset portions 11 which form strap-retaining channels.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a clothes hanger, the combination with a coat hanger frame in the form of a symmetrical trapizoid and including a horizontal base bar and sloping upper sides, of a pants hanger comprising: a generally U-shaped clamp member formed of a single length of wire having a side arms secured to and depending from the sloping upper sides of said coat hanger frame, an integral clamp bar connecting said side arms and extending in substantial parallelism with said base bar, and integral hooks at the intersections of said clamp bar and side arms for engagement with said base bar to clamp a garment between said base bar and clamp bar, said hooks being formed by bending the wire out of the plane in which the clamp bar and side arms lie.

2. A clothes hanger comprising: a coat hanger formed of wire tapering toward its extremities for insertion into the sleeves of a coat-like garment, said coat hanger including sloping upper wires and a horizontal bottom wire, said bottom wire adapted to support a pair of pants in a folded position; a pants or skirt clamp means including a U-shaped frame formed of a single length of wire and including arms adapted for attachment to the sloping upper wires of the coat hanger near their extremities and depending to said bottom wire, an integral horizontal connecting bar extending between said arms in substantial parallelism to said base bar; and integral hook members formed by doubling said wire upon itself at the intersections of the extremities of said bar and arms, said hook members being bent out of the plane of said bar and arms to hook under said base bar and clamp a pair of pants or a skirt between said bar.

3. A clothes hanger, comprising: a coat hanger frame formed of wire bent to define a loop having a horizontal base wire and upper sloping wires converging to and joining the extremities of said base wire, said base wire adapted to support a pair of pants in a folded position; and a pants clamp formed from a single length of wire and including a clamp wire extending parallel to said base wire, upwardly extending substantially coplanar suspension wires at theends 'of said clamp wire secured to said upper sloping wires andhooks formed at the intersections of said clamp wire and suspension wires by bending the ends of said clamp wire out of the plane of the clamp wire and suspension wires, said hooks adapted to engage said base wire to secure a pair of pants or a skirt between said base wire and clamp wire.

4. A clothes hanger, comprising: a coat hanger frame formed of wire bent to define a loop having a horizontal base wire and upper sloping wires converging to and joining the extremities of said base wire, said base wire adapted to support a pair of pants in folded position; and a pants clamp formed of a single length of wire and including a clamp wire adapted to extend parallel to said base wire, the extremities of said clamp wire being bent at right angles, doubled upon itself, and curved to form a pair of integral hooks engageable with said base Wire, and "integral suspension arms extending upwardly from said hooks and joined to the upper sloping wires References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,232,214 Bye July 3, 1917 1,791,496 Henry Feb. 10, 1931 2,104,305 Marble Jan. 4, 1938 2,224,161 Rice Dec. 10, 1940 2,249,288 Gerard July 15, 1941 2,280,435 Knudson Apr. 21, 1942 2,322,935 Higgins, Jr. June 29, 1943 2,614,735 Williams Oct. 21, 1952 

